Shade's Return
by WS
Summary: [Shade's Children] Ninde and GoldEye feel their Change talents coming back, and rush to get home. Ina traffic jam, they see creatures coming quickly. The Overlords are back. A new girl wants to help, and they must send back the Overlords.
1. Chapter One: An Old Memory

WS- Yes, well, once again, I have an idea. An idea that I've been working on for a while but never thought I'd use. lol. Well, off to the world of Change talents, creatures, and Overlords…

**Shade's Return**

**Chapter One: An Old Memory**

Ninde, her brown hair spider-webbing over her shoulders, watched as Ella and Drum, her children, played in the park.

It was amazing. Only thirty years ago had the Change come, and had she, with Gold-Eye, and the team leader, Ella, and then Drum, had been able to defeat the Overlords. Ella and Drum had given themselves to the cause so full-heartedly, that when they knew they would die by doing it, they did the only thing possible to send them back to their dimension: breaking a device that would emit radiation after broken. They did it knowingly, and died together right there, the shadows of dusk wrapping around them as they shared Gold-Eye's last, and final, vision.

The area that they had done it, atop Mount Silverstone, was still, even fifteen years later, draped with the deadly poison of radiation.

Gold-Eye came, and sat beside Ninde, placing a light kiss on her cheek. "What are you thinking about?" His golden eyes, from the Change, glittered in the evening sun.

"How things changed so quickly, and for the better. After the Change, everything happened so quickly, and only got worse, and now, things are so… perfect. It's amazing, and it sets anyone at ease to think that your kids won't have to endure the same as we did." Her voice held a small sadness as she thought back to the very evil of the Overlords, and how many had died, and how many that Shade had sacrificed to try to kill the Overlords. Then how the real Shade, someone named Robert, had snapped out of his mysterious nature and remembered who he was. How Robert, the English professor, had sacrificed himself also, but in a different way.

All of a sudden, Gold-Eye tensed, seeming to stare out into space.

Ninde noticed it and recognized it immediately. She wanted to scream. "Oh, no!" she said, and slapped him to try to get him to stop.

Then, he blinked, and looked at her, shocked. "Oh, gosh, no…" was all he could say.

Right then, something happened. It wasn't anything big. One of the older kids accidentally tripped. Nothing big, right?

But it was big. Gold-Eye had seen the soon-to-be-now. He shouldn't be able to without the Overlords here! But he was able to, and he hadn't seen it for fifteen years, since he shared his, the one with Ella and Drum. The one that went to now, with the Overlords gone. But he had seen it, which meant…

Ninde looked horrified. "No! Please, no. Tell me you didn't—"

Gold-Eye looked down for a moment. "I did," he said, and looked her straight in the eye, his eyes intent and focused, serious. "They're here."

A tear-drop rolled down Ninde's face. "But why aren't we gone? Why aren't we in their meat plant or something? I thought that as soon as they come, the adults always vanish." Her voice was cracked with sobs.

"Maybe they're doing things differently…" Gold-Eye thought about Jemmie and Petar, all those years ago. He didn't want anyone to have to go through this. Petar was about to use the knife… he made Gold-Eye run… Petar wasn't about to let the Overlords use him for their creatures… it neared his chest… he was going to use it on himself, to fight would be capture… but the Myrmidons got him and Jemmie before he could do it.

Gold-Eye closed his eyes. "We have to do something… we have to get weapons, something… I don't want to give up Ella and Drum… I don't to give us up, either. We have to inform the others here. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea that no parents ever told their kids about the Change and the Overlords, because now they won't be prepared…" His voice was slightly panicked.

"Enough! We all did what we thought was right, and no one could be prepared, no matter what! You know that! Quit dwelling and work on telling others!" Ninde ordered.

She looked around and noticed that others were uneasy. They were all adults. It looked like some of them knew, too.

She stopped for a second, and put her knuckle in her mouth, staring to chew on the skin there. Her eyes widened. "My Change talent… everyone knows. The ones with talents have already experienced it, I can tell."

"And the ones who don't?"

"There aren't many of them, but they're being informed by the ones with a talent," Ninde said, her voice serious. "We need to get ready."

Gold-Eye nodded, and got up. "Ella! Drum! Come here, it's important!"

Ella and Drum came up, obviously from some kind of running game, for they were covered with sweat. Ella was about 7 years old, and so was Drum. They automatically sensed that something was wrong, and got a confused look on their face. "What's wrong, Daddy?" Ella asked.

Ninde and Gold-Eye exchanged worried glances, and Ninde got up after Gold-Eye. "Something's happened. We need to go home," she asked, not able to think of any better way to say it.

The two kids followed their parents towards the mini van, asking questions about what happened the whole way.

"We'll explain later, but for now, we can't tell you much. We have to go home and do some things," was always the response they would get, or it would be close to it.

The entrance to the park was pretty busy, with people trying to get out with their kids. Ninde and Gold-Eye exchanged worried glances, knowing that the roads would be just as bad, and that this meant that most knew what had happened.

Instead of the usual ten minutes to get to their house, it took about thirty, for the roads were cramped with scared people. Kids could be seen, confused, in the car windows, wondering why everyone was suddenly on guard.

"Gold-Eye… get the children… we have to go now…" Ninde said, her voice low from fright.

"What? What is it?" Gold-Eye asked, seeing her knuckle in her mouth, meaning that she had been using her Change talent.

"M—M—Myrmidons are coming," she stammered out.

They heard the sharp sound of a Screamer, loud enough to break a human's ear drum when in close range.

"Mommy? What was that?" Drum asked, obviously shocked and frightened.

"Get out of the car," Gold-Eye ordered, his voice steady with fright for his children.

Ninde opened the door and climbed out, and opened the back door to let out Ella. Gold-Eye got out and opened the other side for Drum.

Everyone around them was doing the same, obviously scared to death.

They could hear a few fathers ordering their kids or wives to stay together, or assuring them that it would be alright.

Ninde took a deep breath, and looked at Gold-Eye, who did the same. Their eyes met. They each saw concern for the other in their eyes. The windows that led to their soul couldn't have been more open.

They heard another Screamer, closer this time.

The family huddled together, as did most of the others in the road.

"We have to find shelter," Gold-Eye said.

"Where? There could be Ferrets, and Myrmidons might be around. I felt them close. Trackers, too. Lots of Trackers. And then there were Screamers, and… I felt something else, but I don't know what it was," Ninde answered.

"Wait a second… if this is another Change, and it affects things the same way… could Shade be operational still?" Gold-Eye asked.

"Maybe. I don't know. But right now, we have to watch for creatures," Ninde said, her eyes scanning everything.

"True," Gold-Eye agreed, and did the same.

"Daddy! What's that?" Ella asked, pointing to the horizon.

There, merely silhouettes against the red—more blood-like than comfortable—and orange light of the setting sun.

Gold-Eyes's eyes flashed in the light. "We need to hide," he said firmly.

"W—What are they?" Drum asked.

"Something that I hope you'll never have to learn about," Ninde answered.

Ella grabbed Drum's hand, and they both squeezed tightly in fright.

"Where can we go?" Ninde asked Gold-Eye.

"Try that building over there," he answered, and grabbed both of his kids by the hand, knowing that Ninde would follow on her own, and walking to the construction that he had said.

Obviously, many families had gotten the same idea. They went to different buildings on different sides of the road, the silhouettes gaining form quickly.

Screamers could be seen, and Wingers, and Myrmidon Masters, along with Trackers. No Ferrets were in sight.

Gold-Eye entered the building, and so did his family. There was no one else inside, and no one seemed to want to come inside, so Gold-Eye closed the glass door and locked it. Since it was glass, he knew that it wouldn't keep them back for long, though.

"The top floor! Go!" he said urgently, and started running up the stairs.

Both Ninde and Gold-Eye both wished that they had a sword. Those were always much better to use on creatures than guns, and they didn't even have guns!

Ninde, Drum, and Ella followed their father and husband up the stairs, never stopping even though their legs hurt from the long climb. Drum nor Ella complained, for they were scared, and could see something wrong with their parents.

Gold-Eye smiled slightly. They had chosen the right building.

In front of him, on the top floor, was an array of weapons. This was a knife, gun, and sword store.

Gold-Eye quickly grabbed a long-sword, brandishing it to make sure that it was balanced, and tossed one to Ninde, who caught it. They had used them against creatures when they were around fifteen, and it was a kind of thing that you never forget how to do.

Drum's eyes widened. "What are you going to do with those?" he asked with shock in his voice.

Ella looked about to cry. It was understandable, considering how young she was, and everything happening.

Gold-Eye knelt next to his children. "Listen, kids. There's something very dangerous happening. I can't explain it now, but you have to do as I say without hesitation. This is hard, I know, but it's true." He spoke firmly.

Ninde nodded, and added, "Yes. We need to work together on this. Don't scream, whatever you do."

Drum gulped, and Ella's tears instantly went away. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was nothing but a thin line.

They heard something out the door in the stairwell. Gold-Eye held up his sword, as did Ninde.

Someone opened the door, and they were just about to lunge forward at whatever coming in… they stopped at the last minute.

A girl, about 15 years old, walked in, eyeing the swords carefully. "I'm a friend," she said.

Gold-Eye and Ninde both lowered their swords. Hey looked at the girl, who wore a form-fitting camouflage crop top and camouflage jeans. She was also wearing combat boots. What a trend-setter. They looked, and noticed that she had a fake dog-tag, too. What a piece of work.

Gold-Eye picked up another sword. "Do you know how to use one of these?"

"Yes. I know about the creatures and Overlords, so don't worry. My parents have told me everything since I was a kid, but no one else I know my age knows about it," she said, and chose her own long-sword. It had a sheath, black, and she slipped it into her belt, fastening it tightly. She put her hand on the hilt and pulled it out carefully, brandishing it a few times before returning it to the sheath.

"Good. Do you know about the different creatures?" Ninde asked.

"Yes. My parents were always good at sketching, and would sketch them out and name them, their weaknesses, their strengths, and their characteristics and make me memorize them. I know all that my parents knew about them, except for experiencing them." The girl's brown hair was short and her bangs hung in her eyes. She brushed those out of the way.

"Well, it looks like you're going to experience them now," Gold-Eye said ominously.

"It looks like our best way of getting through this attack is if we stick together," Ninde said, though she wasn't too sure about the girl. "I'm Ninde, and this is my husband, Gold-Eye. My children are Ella and Drum."

The girl's eyes widened. "You're Ninde and Gold-Eye! My parents told me that you and your team are the ones who sent the Overlords to their dimension in the first place!" she exclaimed.

"Yes. Now, we have to get ready and fight," Gold-Eye said sternly.

The girl nodded. "Of course. My name is Lerow," she said.

Just then, there was a large _boom_ as the glass door was knocked down on the lowest level.

"Um, don't creatures hate heights?" Lerow asked.

"Yes. But being on solid ground is fine to them. They just don't like climbing," Ninde told her.

She put her knuckle in her mouth and chewed for a moment.

"Oh damn it! There are trackers, and a couple of Myrmidons. I think that there's a Ferret, too." She wasn't too happy about it.

They heard the heavy foot steps of a Myrmidon Master come up the stairs.

Gold-Eye had a soon-to-be-now vision.

_Foot steps. They were loud. The Myrmidons were almost there. There was one final bang as they came to the door. Ninde shouted at Lerow to move from the door. As soon as she had, the door burst open. Outside was a Myrmidon, as strong as the last one they had seen fifteen years ago. He walked in with a Tracker. Ninde slashed at him with her sword…_

It was over. He came out of his trance, and could already hear the loud foot steps. His vision was happening.

WS- MWAHAHAHAHA! Cliffhangers! PLEASE R&R!


	2. Chapter Two: The Return

WS- Well, I hate it when people don't review, so forgive me if I seem annoyed. My first story here has had 47 hits, but NO reviews. All of the others have no hits, so that I don't really mind. I have to give ya'll time to find and read them!

**Chapter Two: The Return**

"Careful! It's Myrmidons!" Gold-Eye exclaimed.

One of the Myrmidons rushed in, muscles rippling. Every foot step was heavy, and they all vibrated the floor under the humans.

Ella screamed. She hadn't seen anything like this. How could she? Drum didn't do a thing. His eyes were wide, his blonde hair falling into his face. He grabbed Ella's hand, and they clutched each other for support.

Lerow automatically got into a battle stance. She would fight hard.

Everything happened just like Gold-Eye's vision. A Tracker followed the Myrmidon in, and Lerow had moved from the door. Ninde slashed at the Myrmidon.

Then, the part of the vision was over. He'd have to rely on his senses to see what was happening there. He had been doing it for fifteen years, so it was pretty easy now.

The Myrmidon managed to move from Ninde's attack, and it jabbed at her with his fist.

Gold-Eye pushed Ninde out of the way of its fist. He almost got hit himself, but ducked just in time. He swung his sword at the Myrmidon's ribs. The Myrmidon moved to block it, but at the last second Gold-Eye stopped his attack and swung at the Myrmidon's head instead of its ribs. He had pulled a fake-out—a fake-out that worked.

The Myrmidon cried out in surprise and pain.

Ella watched in horror, as did Drum.

Ninde flinched. She knew that the Myrmidon was once a person, and they had to kill it because it had been implanted with new instincts—to capture or kill all humans that were not already prisoners.

Lerow took her opportunity lunged at the Myrmidon. She made a quick movement and cut the Myrmidon's head clean off its shoulders in one motion. She landed from her jump (she had needed to jump to reach the Myrmidon's head, she wasn't so tall), and watched as the Tracker retreated down the steps.

Ninde and Gold-Eye exchanged glances. These weren't going to be the only Myrmidons coming.

Lerow straightened up and looked at them all. She saw the two children cowering in a corner and walked over to them. She sheathed her sword, which was dripping with the blue-colored blood of a creature, and kneeled on one knee next to them. "It's okay. It's over now," she soothed.

Gold-Eye walked over. "She's right, kids. It's over for now. You're alright."

Ninde stood back and watched them soothe the kids until they were no longer crying. She couldn't help but think about all the battles that were most likely going to come soon enough.

"Gold-Eye, why do you think that the adults haven't been taken yet?" she finally asked.

Lerow looked up right before Gold-Eye. "I'd say they probably have other plans. They might not even have another meat factory this time. I'm not sure, but it's awfully possible," she said.

Gold-Eye looked at her, and then at Ninde. "She might be right. But what I have to wonder is, why would they come at all if they don't want to use us for creatures?"

Ninde nodded. "Yes, it's possible," she said. "Wait just a second. I'm going to check for any more creatures." She put her knuckle into her mouth and started to chew. She instantly left bite marks because she bit down so hard, but she didn't break the skin. She opened her eyes a moment later.

"There are creatures outside, but I don't think that there are any in the building now," she said.

"That's good. We need to get out of here. We're trapped if any more come," Lerow said.

"True. We can use the fire escape and hope that there are no Wingers," Gold-Eye said, and went to the window. He looked outside, scanning the air and ground. He didn't see any creatures. "Alright. We can go through here. But I would advise that we each get one more weapon in case we lose or break one."

Lerow nodded. "Good idea." She picked up another sword, this one slightly shorter than the other one. The hilt was golden, and the blade had a bit of decoration on it, like one of the Elvish swords you see on _Lord of the Rings_. She made sure it was balanced right, and slipped it into a sheath that she had fastened to her belt on the other side from the other sword. She also grabbed a dagger which had a sheath and wrapped a band around her left arm, sliding that into the band. "I'm all set. There are quite a few good swords and daggers here. I'd say we might need to get more than just two."

Gold-Eye shook his head and started to pick up another for himself. "No. We'll leave these for any other people who need them."

Ninde agreed with Gold-Eye. "Yes," she concurred. "We can always come back if need be. But right now, we have to focus on getting away from the creatures here."

"Fine. How are we going to handle the kids?" Lerow asked.

Gold-Eye glanced back at Ella and Drum, and so did Ninde. They glanced at each other then, and looked back to Lerow. "We're not leaving them. I'm not sure how we'll be able to get along with them, but they're coming," Gold-Eye said with finality.

Lerow nodded. "Exactly what I would do. Good choice. Now, let's get outta here." She opened the window that had the fire escape right below it. She climbed out, and waited for the others.

Gold-Eye lifted Ella and Drum over the window sill onto the platform, and then climbed out. To make more room, Lerow went one flight of stairs down, and Ninde came out.

He held Drum's hand as they walked down, and Ninde held Ella's. Lerow led the way, her combat boots on the metal making no sound. It was like she was a cat, totally silent.

When Gold-Eye was only about a foot from her behind on the steps, he noticed that she didn't vibrate the stairs, either. Even Drum did. It seemed like you couldn't use any sense to find Lerow other than sight. That in itself was surprising; she didn't necessarily strike someone as the kind of person who would put much stock in being graceful.

He shook the thought out of his head. Now wasn't the time. He needed to concentrate on keeping an eye out for creatures.

Lerow stopped suddenly, and so did Ninde and Gold-Eye. Both Ella and Drum almost tripped, but managed to hang on to their parents hands.

"What is it?" Ninde whispered.

"Trackers," Lerow and Gold-Eye answered simultaneously.

"We need to get down this thing quick… duck under the windows, they're inside the building," Lerow warned.

Gold-Eye nodded. "Where there are Trackers, there are probably Myrmidons."

"Alright," Ninde said. "Let's hurry."

Still, Lerow made absolutely no sound on the metal, even though she was moving quicker and ducking under every window.

They could see Myrmidons in the other buildings through the windows. This wasn't going to be easy.

They finally got to the bottom. It was hard going under all of the windows, but possible. Lerow was the first down the ladder to the ground and when she hopped off, Gold-Eye went, Drum on his shoulders.

Ninde took Ella half-way down and then handed her to Gold-Eye, and continued down the rest of the way.

Lerow made a movement for everyone to be absolutely quiet. She cupped her hand to her ear and listened. Her eyes narrowed, and then widened.

"Through this alley. They're in the street and coming our way." Her voice was low, in a whisper, and was teeming with finality.

Gold-Eye nodded and Ninde did the same. They took off running down the alley, in between the buildings, and across the street on the other side. Gold-Eye looked back and saw Lerow right behind him. It looked like she was just jogging, though she was keeping their pace. He realized that she still was making no sound. It was odd.

She saw Gold-Eye glance back at her and nodded to show that she was fine. "They're almost to the alley, we need to turn here so they can't see us," she said to him.

He nodded and relayed the message to Ninde, who did it automatically. Gold-Eye did next, and finally Lerow. She just barely peeked around the corner and quickly brought her head back around. "They're in the alley. Keep going."

This was going to be a long night. The streetlights had come on earlier, and it would have been pitch dark other than the moon and stars without them.

They all ducked behind some garbage cans as a Winger came into view overhead. Thankfully, it hadn't seen them.

The Winger disappeared from sight and they came out from their hiding place.

"A bit too close a call for comfort," Ninde remarked.

"We need to keep moving and keep an eye out for creatures," Lerow replied.

"Agreed. We need to go to the Submarine. Remember where it is, Ninde?" Gold-Eye asked.

"I do, but I don't know how that would help us," Ninde replied.

"Wait... you might have a point, Gold-Eye. If this is another Change, which I think it is, then maybe Shade is back," Lerow said.

"Shade!" Ninde exclaimed. "He didn't care one bit about everyone!"

"He's our only chance. Without him, my parents say that the Overlords probably still wouldn't have been sent back at all," Lerow replied.

"Yes," Gold-Eye agreed. "We need to go there. Maybe he's at the Submarine. His robots might be fixing it from when the creatures found it those years ago."

Ninde finally nodded. "Alright, I trust your judgment."

"Good. I don't remember the way, though. You need to show us," Gold-Eye answered.

Lerow shook her head. "I know the way. My parents have shown me once. They were away from the Submarine when it was attacked, like you were. They saw it, but ran away when they saw there was no hope of saving it."

Ninde looked at Lerow. "What? Erm… what are your parents' names?"

"Peter and Sarah," Lerow answered simply.

Gold-Eye and Ninde exchanged looks. "They're alive!" Gold-Eye asked.

"Yes. But since the creatures came this time, I haven't seen them, so I don't know for sure."

Ninde shook her head. "Wow… well, we need to get moving."

"Right. Now, I believe from here, the Sub would be this way," Lerow said, and started walking.

They all followed her, keeping a wary eye out for creatures.

Ella and Drum almost said something once, but their parents quickly shushed them. They didn't want to alarm any creatures to their presence.

They had seen different creatures at different times, but what puzzled them was the blood that always covered the creature. They never had a net, and never carried a human that they had captured. In the light it was hard to see, but they could always tell that the blood was red. It was human.

They finally got to what looked like a man hole, and climbed down a ladder. It was so dark they couldn't see the rungs of the ladder. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any Ferrets.

"I can't see a thing," Ninde whispered.

"No problem," Lerow said, and a flashlight came on. She was holding it.

"Where'd that come from?" Gold-Eye asked.

"My pants pocket," Lerow replied.

Ninde smiled. "Okay, let's keep going."

They balanced on wide pipes over the water and kept walking. Finally, after about ten minutes of this kind of walking, they were able to climb down onto solid ground.

They could see the plated on the wall next to every tunnel when this was used often to get to the Sub.

Lerow looked at one for a second, and walked down that tunnel, her flashlight sweeping the area in front of her.

They came to some water, but it was only ankle deep, and they stepped in.

"It's going to get a bit deeper," Ninde warned.

"Yes, I was told," Lerow replied.

They kept going for a while, in and out of tunnels, up and down in water. A few times it got deep enough that Gold-Eye had to carry Drum on his shoulders and Ninde had to hold Ella.

"We're almost there," Lerow said.

"Good. I think I see the hatch up ahead," Gold-Eye replied.

Lerow swung her flashlight toward it and the hatch was there, sure enough.

She took a few careful steps towards it and looked to Gold-Eye. "There's no special password or anything?"

"No."

Lerow nodded and opened the hatch. Stale air came out at her, making her wrinkle her nose.

"Okay, you all go ahead. I'll be in right after you," she said.

Ninde climbed up and set Ella down. Gold-Eye went next and set down Drum. Lerow climbed up then and turned off the flashlight.

"Why'd you do that? I can't see," Ninde said.

"Look and listen," was Lerow's reply.

Gold-Eye and Ninde both listened closely, and heard something shuffling around. They looked and saw something moving in the darkness.

One robot stepped towards them.

Gold-Eye let out a sigh of relief, and Ninde smiled. Lerow didn't say anything.

It was one of Shade's robots. Shade was back.

A voice rang out that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Hello, Ninde, Gold-Eye."

Lerow smiled. "Shade."

"Yes, and you are?" the voice asked.

"My name is Lerow. I am the daughter of Peter and Sarah. They were part of the group that resided here," she replied.

"Very well. Come in, everyone. I have regained the power here, and there are lights in the hallway," Shade said.

At that moment, a light came on and they could see pretty well. They each had to blink a couple of times because the sudden change from the very little light in the sewer to no light at all, and then to light where they could se perfectly well.

Ella seemed to have quieted down a bit, and so had Drum. There wasn't anything frightening here.

Lerow pushed her hair from her eyes, and stepped to the doorway. She turned and waited for the others to start over.

They did after a moment's hesitation, and she opened the door and stepped through, with the others right behind her.

There was some rust on the walls, and a lot of dust, but the lights seemed to be in perfect working order.

"Over to the right. We can converse in that room," Shade said.

Lerow looked to the others, and Gold-Eye nodded. He remembered this, as did Ninde.

She stepped through the doorway, and the room was dark, like when they had come in through the hatch. A light came on toward the center of the room as they walked in, and then there were other lights that came on in different places in the room.

They looked around, and there were a few chairs in front of what looked like a desk.

"Sit down," Shade said.

Lerow took one of the chairs, and Ninde sat on another with Ella. Gold-Eye sat next to her with Drum.

"Good," Shade said.

All of a sudden, there was a large flash of light next to the desk that made Ella and Drum jump. Lerow, Gold-Eye, and Ninde didn't do anything. Ninde and Gold-Eye had seen it before, and Lerow had been told about it by her parents.

When the flash faded there seemed to be a man at the desk. He looked totally real, with jet-black hair and perfect white teeth. He seemed like he was tall, even though he was sitting.

But they all—except Drum and Ella, of course—knew that it was Shade. He was a high-tech hologram.

"It's so nice to see you again, Ninde, Gold-Eye," he said, a smile forming on his lips.

WS- Well, please review! I hope you like it!


	3. Chapter Three: Good New Bad News

WS- Point taken, Renowe. I know that I have a bit of trouble with small paragraphs and too little detail. It's a little habit I have to break. But, I'm glad you both like it. And I'm also glad I FINALLY have some reviews. chuckles Anyway, back to the story….

Oh, sorry for the wait. I've been very busy, and a bit of writer's block for this particular story….

**Chapter Three: Good New Bad News**

"Enough, Shade," Gold-Eye said. He kept scanning their surroundings, even though it was pitch dark. He was still nervous about this, since Shade's little betrayal the last time they had seen each other. Though, Robert, the one who had helped _was_ Shade….

Shade brushed it off without so much as a glare in Gold-Eye's direction. "The Overlords are back, I hear," he remarked. "And because of that, so am I."

Ninde raised one eyebrow, and stated, "We've still got our eyes out in case you try to pull something like 15 years ago." Her voice was firm, and she had her eyes trained on Shade's.

Lerow smiled slightly. No one noticed, except for Shade who didn't do a thing. But she knew he had seen it. "I was told of what happened. Is there no reason that Shade might be truthful this time?" she asked. Her fake dog tag glinted in the faint light.

Gold-Eye winced. He had to admit, it was possible, but still… "I suppose—"

"Good," Shade interrupted. "At least someone is on my side. But, to the point. You didn't come here for a social call, I presume?"

Ninde sighed slightly, and shook her head. "No, no social calls here. We came to see if you would provide what you did the last time this happened. And if you would help us bring more children out of harm's way. You probably still have more knowledge about creatures and the Overlords than we do." She hated to admit it, but it had to be said.

"True. I do have more of that kind of knowledge. But why would you come to me instead of looking for someone else?" They all got a feeling that he was rubbing salt into the wounds. Lerow had no quarrel with him, though, so she didn't have a wound to rub it in.

Ninde narrowed her eyes slightly. She wasn't normally the kind of person to be cross, or to snap at anyone, but Shade was seriously pushing her…. "We don't know of anyone else. Now, will you agree or not?" she retorted, talking quickly so that she didn't say anything she'd regret.

"Of course I'll help. There's nothing else for me to do. The Overlords wouldn't accept me to help them, and I don't enjoy the same things that they do, anyway," he replied, his voice smooth, just annoying the others. For some reason, Lerow was the only one who didn't show anything like that.

"Good," Gold-Eye snapped. "Now, where do we start?"

"_What!_" Ninde exclaimed.

"You must have heard me," Lerow replied. It was nearly an hour later, and they were in another room in the Sub, this one with light, and no spiders or rats that were Shade's "eyes" everywhere in sight.

"Why would we do that? You haven't seen how shameless he is! We should find something else!" Gold-Eye exclaimed, and held Drum and Ella a bit tighter.

"Perhaps I haven't. But still, there's no other way, and it would be even more dangerous if we didn't." Her voice was firm, but not so much that they would feel like she was trying to make them. "If we take those two on the mission that Shade just assigned us, then they'll just be extra weight, and they'll slow us down. By doing that, we might not survive."

Ninde sighed, deep in thought. "True, true. But, what if he—"

"I won't," a voice snapped from a speaker overhead. They all but Lerow jumped slightly. "I will take care of them, you can be assured." His voice seemed slightly soothing….

"How can we be sure?" Gold-Eye retorted. "I mean, from what you've done before, I can't be sure your promises are going to be kept. You're not exactly the most honest person I've met."

"Agreed. Just _why_ would we leave our two kids in _your_ care?" Ninde's voice was high, as if she was straining to say—or not say—something.

Shade sighed over the intercom. "I admit, I made mistakes. But I have paid for them. Now, I only wish to make amends. You can trust me with Ella and Drum. They will not be harmed if I have any say in the matter, and I do and I will."

Gold-Eye shook his head firmly. He felt that it was his job to look out for them. It was always the father's responsibility to protect their wife and their children with their life. Ninde was old enough, and she could go. But he would _never_ leave her alone where Shade could get to her. It was the same with his children, but he couldn't even take them; they were too small.

What to do? Ninde thought rapidly. They couldn't take the children, but by leaving them here, they might still be in danger… of course, Shade probably wouldn't do anything if he wanted her and Gold-Eye to do what he said…. "Alright, alright!" she snapped reluctantly.

Gold-Eye shot her a confused look. She shrugged. "Why would we, Ninde? There's no way I'm trusting him!"

"I don't trust him, either. But as long as he wants to be the leader here, he'll need us to cooperate. He knows that we won't cooperate if he does anything to Ella or Drum. So, I say we leave them in his care just until we get back."

He wanted to point out that might not get back, but if they brought the kids and didn't make it, which was even more likely with the two kids along, then they would go down, too. If they left the kids here, and Shade was trustworthy, then even if they didn't make it, then there was a chance that the kids would…. "Okay!" He didn't want to, but there was no other better choice that he could see.

"Good. Now, let's get ready for the mission." Lerow had been silent during the debate, but now she spoke up. "We don't have all day."

Ninde shot her a glance. Why was she so ready? No matter. Lerow was right; they did need to get going.

"Yes," Shade's voice boomed, "the supplies are through the door to your left. When you get them, I will unlock the room that goes from the hall to the hatch which leads outside."

Gold-Eye muttered something, inaudible to the others, to himself, and walked to the door that was, as Shade had said, to their left. He tried the knob, and since it was unlocked, opened it. There were a few dim lights in the room, and he saw a few rats—robots—in the corners. There were no furnishings in the room, except for a table in the middle. The walls appeared to be white-washed. On the table, there were three bags, like backpacks, almost. They were black, and seemed to have many things in them.

Ninde entered the room after Gold-Eye, and Lerow came next. The kids stayed at the door, not sure what was going on. They were both gripping each other for support. It was all so new and scary to them: voices coming out of the walls; bright lights; swords; the tense body language from both of their parents.

Ninde scanned the bags, and picked one out. There were many pockets, and she opened one of the zippers. There were a few bottles of water in each pack, and each had some rope, dried food, and a few other things that might prove useful.

Gold-Eye picked up the pack he had chosen and walked back to the door. Hen the others had done the same, they all walked out to the doorway.

Lerow climbed out of the manhole into the sunlight of dawn. Fortunately, they hadn't run into any Ferrets. But, Ninde had sensed them nearby many times. That was probably the only reason that they didn't run into any.

Gold-Eye still wasn't sure that it had been the right thing to do, leaving Ella and Drum in Shade's care, but he didn't see any other way they could have done it. So, he had to quit thinking about that, letting his mind wander, and concentrate on the task at hand: The mission.

There was the sound of a Screamer, but it was too far away to worry about it much. What they had to watch for were trackers. They were almost silent, along with Ferrets. Myrmidons were too large to be very stealthy.

"Which way?" Lerow asked. She didn't know how to get there, unlike the others. It wasn't a very well-known route among the modern world. It was practically only used the first time the Change came, but her parents hadn't told her about it. Surprise, surprise.

"Just follow us. You'll see," Gold-Eye replied careful to keep his voice down. He got a better grip on his pack and kept walking towards an alley to their right. Ninde knew the way, so she didn't need to watch him, but she did anyway.

Gold-Eye stopped, seeming to be in a trance. They all knew what was going on, even Lerow. He was having a soon-to-be-now vision.

A Screamer was near; it was screeching ear-splittingly…. On top of the building above them, a Myrmidon looked over the edge…. Trackers appeared everywhere, looking for any signs of humans….

The vision disappeared, and the Screamer screeched. Gold-Eye snapped into action, grabbing Lerow and Ninde's arms, and pulled the out of the alley, out of sight of the creatures. The Myrmidon put his head over the edge a split second after they were gone.

He didn't stop when they were out of the alley. He kept pulling on them down the road, trying to get away from the Trackers. If they stayed near, the tracking creatures would catch their scent, or whatever they do to find humans.

For a split second, he thought that he heard the footsteps of a pursuing Myrmidon. But, he didn't dare look back. It wouldn't help any whether he knew for sure that something was behind them or not. He wasn't going to stop one way or the other.

Lerow did look behind them though. She pulled on her arm, planting her feet, dragging Gold-Eye to a stop. "No one's coming after us. They must've found something more interesting," she said.

Ninde nodded. Her knuckles were in her mouth, and she was chewing. She pulled it out and said to them, "I can't tell for sure what they're after, but they're going for something else. We should keep moving just in case. Whatever they're after is fast, and they might stop pursuing it."

Lerow nodded. "Yes, I agree. We need an alternate route. Which way?" The question wasn't directed at anyone in particular.

Gold-Eye shook his head. "I don't think that there is an alternate route to where we're going." His voice made it sound final.

"Come on, there's gotta be!" Lerow replied, her brows furrowed. "I mean, whoever found this way might have found another one."

Ninde nodded. "Gold-Eye's right. This thing has been searched many times, and no sign of any other ways to get through." Her shoulders dropped, betraying her disappointment.

Gold-Eye noticed Lerow suddenly tense. She seemed to be staring at something behind them….No, she was staring right through them. She didn't twitch once.

A moment later, she snapped out of it, shaking her head, and pushing her hair out of her eyes. "What was that?" she muttered to herself.

"Lerow, are you okay?" Ninde asked, instinctually knowing that she wasn't. Was it…but no, it couldn't be.

"There's something coming." Lerow looked straight at them, and they both gasped. She had a white streak in her hair down the side of her face. It stood out vividly against her fairly dark hair. Her eyes held a sharp look, more than they had only a moment ago.

"What happened to you?" Gold-Eye asked, his brows pulled together into a frown. His eyes were narrowed. He already knew.

"I'll explain later, but we have to get out of here," Lerow said, her voice deep and commanding. Both of the blinked, but they did as she said.

Lerow heard something she knew that the others couldn't. It was a high-pitched whistle-like sound—as high-pitched as a dog whistle. And she could hear it. She didn't know how, but she did.

And the sound was getting louder.

"Come on! We'll go this way," Lerow said, leading them down an alley to the side of the road they had been on.

There were trash cans in the corners, and abandoned newspapers, out of date, littered the ground they stepped on.

Still Lerow kept running. Her long legs pumped hard, carrying her so swiftly and smoothly that the adults might have thought she was flying. But what Ninde and Gold-Eye really noticed was that her boots hitting the pavement made absolutely no sound at all.

"Where are we going and why?" Gold-Eye finally asked, out of breath. They had gone down a couple more alleys.

Lerow stopped as if she had been going only five miles an hour and turned around. Her wary eyes scanned the surroundings, and she seemed to be listening for something. Finally she nodded to herself as if she approved where they were, and looked back to the adults.

"So?" Ninde prodded.

"I heard something. It was high-pitched. Somehow, I knew it was too high-pitched for anyone else to hear it. It was either getting louder or getting closer, and I felt tremors in the ground. So, before anything caught up to us, I ran. The sound's faint now." Lerow shrugged.

"Oh." Ninde. She grimaced, and looked at Gold-Eye questioningly. "Did you feel it in the ground?"

"No."

"I don't know how you could miss it. But anyway, why were you guys staring at me?" Her eyes had lost the extreme sharpness again. Still, that didn't make much of a difference; she still looked pretty capable, with her determined face and two swords.

Gold-Eye hesitated, and said. "Look in a mirror when we get back to the Sub. Since the way is blocked to our next mission, I suppose that'll be our next stop."

They had been on their way to the old meat plant that the Overlords had used, to see if it was still in business. They would probably try to find another way later. For now, they were going to the Sub to ask Shade if Lerow was displaying Change abilities.

But they all knew, even Lerow, that there was no doubt—she had Change powers. And they might be the kind that would be a big help.

But, there was also something else that she had found using her new abilities—possibly another, new, creature. And it was something that not everyone could tell was near except for Lerow herself.

Typical: good news is always accompanied by bad.

WS- Well, I'm sorry this isn't as long as usual. As I said, writer's block.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"The heck!" Lerow exclaimed. She shook her head, fingering the white streak in her hair. "I know some people change in looks, but this…" She shook her head. She was alone in a restroom on the Sub. Shade had been told what had happened already. He still had a poker face on, but a small bit of agitation could be seen.

She pulled her hand away and walked out of the small room, into fluorescent lights of the hallway. "I'm guessing this wasn't expected," Ninde observed. She had been waiting outside the door for Lerow.

"No, it wasn't, really." She chuckled nervously and shook her head again. "But I suppose what happens and has happened is out of our reach. At least this is accompanied by a Change talent that could help us out, no?" She sighed.

"True. Shade wants to see you on your own for some reason. Go on; we'll wait for you in the kitchen." The camouflage-clad girl nodded and walked to the room where they usually talked to Shade face-to-face.

She closed the door behind her and sat on the couch, one eyebrow raised. "Yes, Shade? What is it?" she asked. The flash that signaled the arrival of his hologram appeared and dimmed.

He leaned forward on the desk slightly, eyeing the streak in her hair. "I wanted you to explain to me exactly what happened, Lerow. You breezed through it when the others were here. I want it piece by piece." She shrugged and complied.

When she was done he nodded thoughtfully. "Good. But was there anything else out of the ordinary? I'm not just talking about on this mission, either. Ever since the Overlords came, have you felt this sort of thing? Or anything else. Tell me if you have."

"Not really." She paused, furrowing her brows in thought. "Well, there was that one time…. It was like all of my senses were heightened for a moment. I was really fast, too. It was right when everyone else got agitated. So, when the Overlords first came. But that's it, I think."

Shade nodded again. "That's not uncommon. It seems we've found your Change talent, my dear. You will notify me if this happens again?"

"Sure."

"Very good."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What was that about?" Gold-Eye asked when she had gotten back to the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow and started to pour himself some cold water from a pitcher.

"Not much. He wanted to go over everything again. Other than that, there wasn't really anything. Have you already eaten?" He shook his head and opened a cabinet.

"There isn't really much here other than dried food, but what can you expect?" Ninde shrugged to herself. Lerow half-smiled.

"Can't be worse than an MRE," she replied. She looked to the two kids sitting on the counter patiently as if she had only just noticed them. She hesitated and walked over to the two. They raised their heads in curiosity. "So, did you have fun while we were gone? I'll bet Shade gave you two plenty of things you could do."

Ella grinned in recollection. "Yep," she said. "He let us draw and color and he gave us a couple snacks." Drum nodded in agreement.

Gold-Eye and Ninde exchanged amused glances. It seemed their new team-member had a bit of a way with kids. That was good. They were also glad Shade had taken good care of their children.

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

**NOTE**

**It's very, very short, but it's been so long I thought that really didn't matter. I'm very sorry for the wait, but things have been awfully hectic here with plenty of different things. **

**Please review!**


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